Technique for translating a hybrid virtual volume file system into a pure virtual file system data stream

Abstract

A technique translates a hybrid virtual volume (vvol) having a file system that contains intermingled virtual and physical volume block numbers (vbns) into a “pure” stream of virtual vbns (vvbns). The stream of vvbns is illustratively embodied as an output file system data stream of a vvol image that is transferred by a source storage system (“source”) to a destination storage system (“destination”) in accordance with image transfer operations, such as volume copying and synchronous or asynchronous mirroring, provided by a volume replication facility. The blocks that are sent as part of the image transfer are selected from a container file of the hybrid vvol on the source. In particular, the invention is directed to a technique for translating physical vbns (pvbns) of a source aggregate on the source to pure vvbns of the output file system data stream that can be used on a destination aggregate of the destination, where embedded pvbns in the source hybrid vvol image are not valid.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present invention is related to the following commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 950,893 titled, Technique for Translating a Pure Virtual File System Data Stream into a Hybrid Virtual Volume, filed on even date herewith and hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to storage systems and, more specifically, to transfer of a volume between a source and a destination on either the same storage system or across a network.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]A storage system typically comprises one or more storage devices into which information may be entered, and from which information may be obtained, as desired. The storage system includes a storage operating system that functionally organizes the system by, inter alia, invoking storage operations in support of a storage service implemented by the system. The storage system may be implemente...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]Advantageously, the inventive technique removes intermingling of pvbns and vvbns from a volume (vvol) to thereby generate a pure stream of volume blocks that may be further processed by the destination. The invention additionally provides to the destination information about each block to aid in that processing. Moreover, optimizations such as block type and level bits cache and block-based physical to virtual vbn conversion ensure high efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

Transferring such hybrid vvols between source and destination aggregates either on the same storage system or across a network poses the problem of “interpreting” these block pointers on the source and destination, and transforming them into a format that allows the destination to recreate the same vvol in terms of data and snapshots as it existed at the source.

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